Jose, Can You See: Latinos On And Off Broadway

In two acts, complete with overture and intermission, Alberto Sandoval-Sánchez shines his spotlight on representations and stereotyping of Latinos on stage. In act one, José Can You See? scans the way Latinos get typecast on Broadway and in popular culture—from enduring icons like Carmen Miranda and Desi Arnaz to full-scale musicals like West Side Story and A Chorus Line.
    In act two Sandoval-Sánchez offers a fresh perspective on how Latinos/as represent themselves in their own theatrical productions by introducing a whole body of relatively unknown Latino plays. Suggesting that all these plays pose a response to popular culture’s stereotypes, he discusses the ways in which Hispanic theater both confronts the dangers of assimilation and validates Latino traditions and culture.